Iran Forms New National Defense Council After Tensions With Israel

JAKARTA - Iran's top security agency approved the establishment of the National Defense Council on Sunday, according to state media, following a brief air war with Israel in June which has been Iran's most acute military challenge since the war with Iraq in the 1980s.

"The new defense agency will review the defense plans and enhance the capabilities of Iran's armed forces centrally," the Secretariat of the Highest National Security Council said.

The defense council will be led by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and consists of heads of three branches of government, senior commanders of the armed forces, and related ministries.

Israeli airstrikes on June 13, 2025, targeting Tehran's military and nuclear facilities, sparked 12 days of attack on each other with Tehran.

The United States recently attacked Iran's nuclear facilities located in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22.

Iran responded by carrying out a counter-attack, before all three agreed to a ceasefire on June 24.

Meanwhile, Iran's Supreme Commander Amir Hatami warned on Sunday that threats from Israel still exist and should not be underestimated.

"The 1 percent threat should be considered a 100 percent threat. We must not underestimate the enemy and consider the threat to be over," Hatami said, according to the official IRNA news agency, adding Iran's missile and drone forces were "staying alert and ready to operate".